


Collateral Damage

by FaithWinchester



Series: Brothers' Keeper [4]
Category: Legend (2015)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:41:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24993274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaithWinchester/pseuds/FaithWinchester
Summary: Another snippet in the Brothers Keeper series, there are ups and downs to the life they live, and sometimes staying out of the business isn't an option
Relationships: Reginald "Reggie" Kray/Original Female Character(s), Reginald "Reggie" Kray/Ronald "Ronnie" Kray/Original Female Character(s), Ronald "Ronnie" Kray/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Brothers' Keeper [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766131
Kudos: 16





	Collateral Damage

**Author's Note:**

> This snippet of life with the Krays fits in sometime after Sweet Dreams 
> 
> ***

It was supposed to be a nice day. Lunch, a movie, maybe a little bit of shopping before they went home. Dawn was not supposed to be sitting in the back seat of the car stitching Reggie's flesh back together with shaking hands and the tiny sewing kit she kept in her purse. She cursed, soundly as she carefully knotted the blue thread and started on the next stitch. The knife had sliced cleanly down his left shoulder blade, a short but deep gash that couldn't be ignored or simply bandaged.

Reggie sat still and silent under her hands, not even flinching when she pierced his skin with the needle again. She, on the other hand, bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed every time she forced the metal through his flesh. 

She didn't know who the man was that had attacked them. She had never seen him before and she didn’t know of anything that was brewing right now with Ron and Reggie’s boys, who most of London referred to as “The Firm”. They didn’t involve her in business unless she asked, but if there was any kind of potential danger to her from it, they always made sure she knew, and that she was safe. 

They’d been crossing the parking lot, leaving the theater, Dawn’s arm threaded through Reggie’s, Ron walking a bit ahead of them with the keys to unlock the car. Three men darted out from between other cars and Dawn didn’t have a chance to register what was happening before two of them were on Ron and Reggie was turning to put himself between Dawn and the third man. She heard Reggie swear, the sound of cloth and flesh ripping and then he pushed her away, into a space between vehicles and she rolled under a truck, raising her head as much as she could to try to see what was happening. She heard them shouting, saw the shuffle of feet and one man went down, blood pouring over his face. One of the others dragged him to his feet and they ran. She heard Ron’s voice.

“Take care of Dawn, I’ll be back when I’m through with them.”

“No, no, no, no, dammit, Ronnie!” she shouted, scrambling out from under the car. She got to her feet and started after him, but Reggie caught her around the waist, pulling her back. She fought him, trying to shove his hands away. “You can’t let him go alone, Reggie, goddammit!”

“Hey, hey, Dawn, look at me, look at me,” he said, taking hold of her arms, turning her to face him, his fingers biting into her skin. “Dawn, luv, look at me, right now,” he demanded and she gripped his arms, looking up at him, angry and crying.

“You can’t let him do this, Reg!”

“He’ll be okay, Sunshine. I’m sending Teddy and the boys to find him right now, as soon as I know I can let go of you and you won’t take off,” he said, clearly frustrated and she nodded, tears spilling down her face. He let go of her arms, slowly, and when she didn’t try to take off after Ron, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Teddy. She moved into him, laying her head against his chest, fists clenched in his shirt as he spoke, telling Teddy briefly what had happened, where they were and which direction they’d gone. When he’d hung up and put the phone away, he put his arms around her, stroked her hair with one hand.

“There’s three of them, Reg and he’s alone,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

“It’s Ronnie, luv. You know him. He’ll find a weapon, he’ll be okay,” he told her. It didn’t need saying that if Ron had a weapon and got to the men who’d attacked them, they wouldn’t survive it. She put her arms around him, felt the sticky warmth on his back and pulled back sharply. The look in her eyes was accusing as she grabbed his shirt and jerked him around.

“Dammit, Reggie, you’re bleeding!”

“I know,” he admitted. “Pretty sure one of them had a blade on ‘im.”

“Get in the car, now,” she demanded, seething. 

They were only a few rows away from where they’d parked and Reggie pulled his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door. Luckily, both he and Ron carried keys to this car on their keyrings. 

“Backseat,” Dawn ordered and he obeyed. She slid in beside him and he heard the automatic locks engage as she punched the button. “Take your damn shirt off,” she said, opening her purse and digging through it to produce a tiny plastic case filled with little spools of thread, miniature scissors and a piece of cardboard with several needles stuck in it.

Reggie stripped off his shirt and felt the tremble in her hands as she touched his back, preparing to sew him up.

***

Dawn felt sick to her stomach, wiping the blood from her hands as much as possible with the remains of Reggie’s shirt. He leaned gingerly into the corner where the seat met the door, one leg on the seat, the other on the floor and he drew her into his chest, between his legs. She curled up against him, her head against his bare chest, staring at nothing as it got darker outside.

“Thank you, for stitching me up,” he said, his fingers trailing over her hair.

“I don’t ever want to have to do that again, Reggie,” she told him and then sighed and closed her eyes. “I want to make you promise me that I’ll never have to, but I know you can’t do that.”

“I’m sorry, Dawn,” he said, quietly.

“I don’t want sorry,” she said. “I want Ronnie safe and I want us to go home, all of us.”

“Me too, luv,” he said.

The ringing of his phone startled them both and he answered it quickly.

“Teddy?... Did you find them?... Any police?... Right, then, we’ll meet you back at his flat.”

She waited, silent, holding her breath as he hung up the phone.

“He’s okay, Sunshine.” Her breath left her in a burst and she closed her eyes as he kept speaking. “Teddy and the boys caught up to them a few blocks away. Ron had ended two of them already. The third’s been taken care of now. They’ll meet us at home.”

***

The door slammed open and bounced off the wall as Dawn shoved past Teddy and Jimmy and stalked into the room. Reggie appeared in the doorway behind her and Ron knew from the look his twin gave him that it wasn't going to be easy. 

"Sunshine," Ron said, as she approached him. She slapped his chest, her jaw clenched, eyes flashing. She slapped him again, with both hands this time, open palms and then she let out a harsh cry, clenched her hands and hit him with both fists, once, then again. He caught her wrists before she could hit him a third time and he heard the sob bubble out of her throat. 

"Out," he said, not looking away from her. Peripherally, he saw Teddy and Jimmy move, heard Reggie tell them they would talk later and heard the door close. She was glaring at him, jerking at his hold on her wrists. 

"You bastard," she spat through gritted teeth. "How fucking dare you?! Goddammit, Ronnie Kray, how dare you!?"

"Dawn, stop," Reggie started but Ron shook his head. 

"Let her say what she needs to say, Reg."

"You left us there, Ron, you ran off after those guys alone, fucking  _ alone _ , Ronnie!"

"I'm okay, Sunshine. I'm always okay," he said, dragging her closer. 

"Bullshit, that's fucking bullshit!" she seethed, shoving at him.

"It's alright, baby girl, I’m alright," Ron told her, putting his arms around her and holding her against his chest. She fought him for a moment more, until Reggie pressed up behind her, putting his arms around both of them, one hand gripping the back of his brother's neck. Ron pressed his forehead against Reggie's for a moment, over her head and she stopped struggling, stopped trying to push them away. She melted between them, holding onto Ron's shirt, Reggie's bare chest against her back and they held her there while she cried. 

***

Dawn slept, dark shadows under her eyes, face swollen from crying. She was curled up on Ron's bed, looking small and lost among the pillows. Reggie wanted to touch her, to smooth her hair back from her face, to wipe the tracks of her tears off her cheeks. He didn't. If he touched her, he would lay down beside her and gather her close and hold her until morning. Instead, he left her lying there and he pulled the bedroom door almost shut. Ron was at the table, a bottle and two glasses in front of him and Reggie sat down beside him. 

"Your back?" Ron asked and Reggie shrugged. 

"Just a slice. Dawn stitched me up. You know that's why she was so pissed," he said. 

"I know," Ron agreed. "Shirt, let's have a look."

"Did you get a name before you killed them?" Reggie asked, pulling his shirt gingerly over his head.

"Richardson," Ron said, draining his glass and refilling it before standing. He didn't ask permission, just grabbed a washcloth, wet it and started cleaning the blood from Reggie's back. 

Charlie and Eddie Richardson ran South London much the way Reggie and Ron ran East End, and anywhere the two territories or the interests of the two families overlapped, there was blood. He didn’t know of anything currently, but that didn’t mean much. It was entirely possible that the three Richardson boys had recognized them and taken a shot at them, for no reason except to gain favor with their bosses. Still, he had to ask.

"She in danger?" Reggie asked, letting his head fall forward. 

"They never mentioned her. Didn't try for her in the parking lot. I don't think it's about her."

Ron opened the cupboard beside the sink, took out the first aid kit and opened it on the table. Reggie sat quietly while Ron taped a bandage over the stitches, then sat back down. It was many hours before they slept.

***

Dawn woke feeling drained, her eyes gritty and painful. She’d cried more than she realized the night before. It was late morning, judging by the light through the window and she was alone in Ron’s bed, the bedroom door shut. The blankets were rumpled though and she could smell them on the pillows. She hadn’t slept alone. She sat up and crawled off the bed, realizing she was still dressed in her clothes from the day before, with Reggie’s blood streaking the front of her shirt. She stripped off the shirt and made her way across the bedroom to where the master bathroom adjoined. It had a second door that led to the living room and she closed it silently and locked it. She could hear the rumble of male voices from the direction of the kitchen, Ron and Reggie and someone else. 

She turned on the shower and while the water heated up, she stripped off the rest of her clothes, pulled the hair tie from her hair and then stepped into the steaming water, pulling the glass door shut behind her. The water thundered down around her, drowning out the sounds of the world and she closed her eyes, letting it pour over her head, plastering her hair to her back, beating against her body, washing over her face, soothing her eyes, stinging her lip where she’d bitten the hell out of it the day before. She washed her hair with her own shampoo, smoothed the conditioner through it slowly. She’d taken to keeping a set of her own bathing products in each bathroom in the building. It was just easier that way, just like keeping clothes in all three master bedrooms, her favorite coffee in each kitchen and her vanilla lotion beside each bed. It made just as much sense that both Ron and Reggie had clothes in her bedroom, a razor in her bathroom, and their own mugs in the kitchen. They were so much a part of one another’s lives that the choices they made inexorably affected the others. That was part of what it meant to be with someone.

Nearly two years had passed since she moved to London and met Reggie and Ron, a year and a half since they started this relationship. A year ago, her father had reached across an ocean and stolen her, and Ron and Reggie had come and taken her back. She’d known since day one what kind of life they led, who they were and if she’d had any doubt, the full scale slaughter of her father’s men would have put that to rest without question. In any case, they had always been honest with her and they did their best not to let the darker side of their lives touch her. No system was perfect though, and there had been times that Dawn had been put on lockdown, surrounded by armed men until a situation could be resolved. She had no doubt that if there had been any forewarning of the attack at the theater, she wouldn’t have been there, they would have been armed and they would have had back-up. As it was, Reggie had put his body in between her and the danger and Ron had made sure they wouldn’t be coming back and she hated it,  _ hated _ that Reggie had bled for her, that Ronnie had put himself in danger, but it was the reality of their life. She’d known that the first time she’d gone to bed with them, the minute she opened herself to them and was it really fair to be so very angry with them? 

She’d cut her teeth on violence and bad guys, been raised by a spineless mother, a ruthless father and a steady stream of his most brutal men passing in and out of her home. She hated her father, hated what he stood for, but no matter how he hurt her or her mother, she’d grown up knowing no one else was allowed to. Her father might beat her within an inch of her life, but she was his and God help anyone else who put a hand on her. 

That was the root of it, she realized. Reggie and Ron were hers and someone had come after them, unprovoked. Reggie had bled and Ron had killed them and Dawn had been helpless, unarmed, unprepared, and she was pissed about it.

Dawn turned off the water and got out of the shower. She moved slowly, followed her usual routine, wrapping her hair in a towel, drying her skin, walking naked into the bedroom. Her clothes were in the top drawer of Ron’s dresser and she pulled on panties and then sat on the bed to apply lotion to her legs and arms, her belly, chest and shoulders, before returning to the dresser to pull on jeans and a tank top with a built in bra. It took her some time to towel dry her hair, comb out the tangles and pull it back in a loose braid. She didn’t bother with makeup and the girl in the mirror looked back at her with eyes that looked wide and startled and very young. Dawn blinked, then turned away and made her way out of the bedroom.

She found them at the kitchen table, Ron, Reggie, Teddy and Jimmy. Ron and Teddy generally drank tea, but Reggie and Jimmy had coffee and she could see there was still half a pot on the counter. She lightly trailed her hand across Ron’s shoulders as she crossed the kitchen, because she wasn’t ready to talk yet, but she wanted him to know she wasn’t angry with him. She heard them moving around while she was getting her coffee, adding her sugar, her cream. They’d resumed talking by the time she turned back to them and there was an open chair between Reggie and Ron. She sat down sipping her coffee and listened to what Teddy was saying.

“From what we’ve been able to find out, it wasn’t sanctioned. Just chance and opportunity. Wanted to try to make a name for themselves.”

“Make sure you spread the word about how well that worked out for them,” Reggie said and Teddy’s eyebrows rose.

“Word gets back to Charlie and Eddie Richardson that we’re taking credit for ending his guys, it could start something.”

“Have to make sure they know, that everyone knows, or it’ll happen again,” Ron said.

“What if it sets the Richardsons off?” Jimmy asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Dawn said and they went silent, staring at her. She looked up from her coffee, looked around at them, met each of their eyes, steadily. She saw Reggie and Ron glance at each other and she understood. Dawn didn’t involve herself in business, not generally. This time, though, she was going to involve herself, because this was her family and she was going to make sure she didn’t lose them.

“No mercy, no weakness, not for this. Anyone comes at us, this family, our people, they die, fast, violent, immediate retribution. Whatever else my father is, he knows how to run his business and that’s always been his first rule. An attack on his family is never tolerated. We have to be the same.”

“We attacked his home,” Jimmy said, hesitantly. She could see from the look on his face that he wasn’t trying to argue, just understand.

“He attacked our family first, stole our Sunshine,” Ron said. “Our raid on his people was the retribution.”

“Exactly,” Dawn agreed. “He didn’t know, when he sent them to take me, who I belonged to. If he had, he would have counted it a loss and stayed away, or he would have come in force and tried to kill all of you.”

“Spread the word, Teddy. Make sure it gets back to the Richardsons. This wasn’t business, it was personal,” Reggie told him.

“Make it clear, Teddy,” Dawn added. “This can’t happen again.” Her voice was different, hard, cold and Teddy’s eyebrows were in his hair as he and Jimmy left the flat.

Dawn stayed where she was, drinking her coffee, very aware that they were watching her.

“Not angry with me anymore, Sunshine?” Ron finally asked and she looked at him.

“I want to be,” she told him. “I want to be pissed that you took off on your own, but I can’t.”

“An’ why’s that, luv?” Reggie asked, quietly.

“Because he did what I couldn’t,” she said. “He protected our family, made it clear that no one comes at us like that.”

“You know we’ll always keep you safe,” Ron said and Dawn nodded.

“I know, Ronnie,” she agreed. “And if anyone doesn’t get the message from this, if anyone comes at me and mine this way again, I’ll kill them myself.”


End file.
